Dad jailed for murdering daughter after play-fight accident claim is rejected

A FATHER who had claimed he was just "play-fighting" when he fatally stabbed his daughter in the heart was yesterday jailed for at least 15 years.

- Paul Jeeves

Scarlett Vickers, 14, collapsed and died when the knife was stuck four inches into her chest by dad Simon as her mother cooked spaghetti nearby.

Vickers, 50, had denied murder and manslaughter, insisting the family had been "mucking around" last June.

He told the Teesside Crown Court jury: "We were horse-playing. I must be the unluckiest man in the world."

But he did not mention his violent past, including a conviction for wounding with intent and being sentenced to two years' detention in 1993. Jurors found him guilty of murder by a majority verdict.